Going From Faint To Fit In 2006

Here are a few tips to think about when coming up with a fitness plan.

- Open a notebook and record your daily nutritional intake. Log your daily activity--something as simple as walking or as lofty as running eight miles--on the opposite page.

- One week in your journal should reflect several days of resistance training and some daily cardiovascular training. As you get stronger and gain endurance, increase your activity level.

- Include stretching as well as exercises that require balance and work several muscle groups at a time.

- Make small changes in your diet. Focus on eating more whole foods and fewer processed foods.

- Make sure to record your weight several times a week. A baseline body-fat assessment is essential and should be measured again in six to eight weeks. Measuring the changes in your body will motivate you to keep moving forward.